Fuel feeder and spreader for furnaces



W. C. ELY. FUEL FEEDER AND SPREADER FOR FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.8, 1915.

1,312,526 Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. C. ELY.

FUEL FEEDER AND SPREADER FOR FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8,1915.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

22m? Ill/I2 Fig.

IQE.

WALTER C. ELY, F TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

FUEL FEEDER AND SPREADER FOR FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. is, rare.

Application filed April 8, 1915. Serial No. 19,925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER C. ELY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel Feeders and Spreaders for Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanism for feeding fuel to furnaces and the like, and for spreading such fuel evenly over the grates of the furnace, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with furnaces in which very high temperatures are produced.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of simple, efficient and improved mechanism for feeding fuel to a furnace continuously and spreading it at the rate at which it is consumed. Another object of my invention is the provision of regulated cooling means for the feeder and distributer.

' More particularly it is the object of the present invention to provide an oscillating gravity'slide plate directly under a vertical fuel feed opening and provide controllable cooling means for the plate and for the crushing roller above the feed opening.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel feature and combination of the elements being set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmental Side elevation of a furnace equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of my device looking in the opposite direction to that shown in 1; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the mechanism used in the construction, Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a watertight joint, and Fig, 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the fire box 8 of the furnace or other structure for producing intense heat may be of any desired design or size. In the lower portion of the fire box is a set ofgrates 9 of any preferred or ordinary design. In one side of the furnace, preferably the upper side, I provide an opening 10 throu h which fuel is fed to the fire box. Above t e opening 10 is a hopper 11 having a chute 12 a to feed adapted to discharge fuel therein. In the hopper l1 and forming the bottom thereof, I provide one or a plurality of crushing rollers 13, preferably two in number. The rollers are hollow and each is provided with hollow trunnions 14: and 15 journaled in the wall of the hopper 11. The trunnions 14 of the rollers are connected together by means of meshing gears 16 so that upon rotation of one of the rollers the other roller will be caused to rotate toward said roller in order the fuel through the opening and to crush any large lumps of fuel which may enter the hopper.

Immediately below the opening 10 and in a recess 17 formed in the upper portion of the firebox, I provide a hollow distributing plate 18 provided with hollow trunnions 19 extending through the walls of the fire box and supporting the plate. The plate is so positioned that fuel dropping by gravity through opening 10 will slide over said plate over the grates 9 in order to evenly distribute the fuel over the same.

The trunnions 14 of the rollers and 19 of the plate are connected by swivel joints 20 to a supply pipe 21 adapted to convey a cooling fluid to the rollers and plate. The cooling fluid may be supplied to pipe 21 from a storage tank 22 or from any other source desired. The trunnions 15 of the rollers 13 and the trunnions 19 of the plate 18 are each provided with valves 23 adapted to regulate the flow of cooling fluid through the plate and rollers. In the move ment of the rollers and plate the valves 23 are adapted also to move bodily. The valves 23 are each provided with a short pipe 24: having its end open and loosely eX- tendinginto a fitting 25 of a waste-pipe 26. The fitting 25 adjacent the end of trunnion 19 is preferably provided with a bafile plate 27 adapted to direct the fluid from the upper Walves away from the {open end of the lower pipe 24:. By regulating the flow of fluid through rollers 13 and plate 18 the temperature of these members is controlled independently. Ordinarily fuel in the form of coal is fed to these furnaces or fire boxes in a wet state and by controlling the temperature of the rollers 13 and plate 18 the amount of moisture evaporated from the fuel before it reaches the fire box may be accurately controlled.

In order to provide an oscillatory movement for plate 18 a slotted crank arm 28 1s fixed to one of the trunnions 19 of the plate and connected by means of a connecting link 29 with a crank arm 30 fixed on a shaft 31. The shaft 31 is mounted in suitable bearings on the outer wall of the fire box and provided with a splined clutch member 32 which engages clutch teeth on the hub of a sprocket wheel 83. The sprocket wheel 33 is connected to a sprocket wheel 34 on one of the trunnions 14: by means of a, sprocket chain 35 so that upon rotation of trunnions 14: shaft 31 is caused to rotate and crank arm 30 caused to produce an oscillatory movement of crank arm 28 and thereby produc ing an oscillatory movement to plate 18. In order to vary the stroke of plate 18 a movable pivotal. joint is provided in each of the slotted crank arms 28 and 30. This connection comprises a bolt 36 having a shoulder 37 and two nuts 38 clamping the bolt in desired positions along the slots. The other end of the bolt is provided with a nut 39 adapted to hold the end of connecting link 29 in'pivotal connection with the bolt 36. It will therefore be seen that by moving bolt 36 toward trunnion 19 the stroke of plate 18 will be increased, and by moving the other bolt 36 toward shaft 31 the stroke of plate 18 will be diminished. A I

In order to produce rotary movement in the rollers one of the trunnions 14 is propreferably in the supplied ip'resscd vided with a sprocket wheel 40 and connected by -means of the chain 41 with a sprocket wheel 42 on a shaft 4:3. The shaft 13 is provided with 'a worm wheel 414: meshing with a worm 45 on a shaft 41 6. The shaft 46 is provided with a worm wheel 17 meshing with a worm 48 carried by the shaft of a motor 459. The particular meansfor imparting motion to the rollers 13 may be varied to suit various conditions and requirements without departing from my invention. The rollers are timed to rotate at a speed which will feed fuel to the fire in the fire boxes at the rate at which it is consumed. It will be seenthen that by the introduction of the clutch member 32 the iplate l8 may be moved to itsfull line position inF-ig. '2 and permit the fuel to be fed directly on to the grates 9 without being distributed over the latter.

In a suitable portion of the fire box, and top near the opening 10,1 provide openings 50 adapted to permit the passage of'compressed airor other oxidizing agent to the upper portion of the fire box in order to facilitate co bustion. ,The openings 50-connect with a chamber 51 which is from any suitablesource of comair or other oxidizing agent, not shown, through a pipe .52. By admitting the oxidizing agent to the fire box above the fuel in a substantially thin sheet over the of fuel to said opening therein,

fuel as it is spread over the grates, the partially burned gases ordinarily accumulating in the latter, are completely burned before passing out of the fire box. Thus by completely burning the fuel in the fire box a more intense heat is produced. The means for admitting the oxidizing agent to the fire box may be varied to suit various demands or kinds of fuel, or the amount of moisture in the fuel.

While I have illustrated the preferred formof my construction I do not desire to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: Y c

1. In combination, a heat-producing structure having a fuel opening through its upper wall, hollow feed rolls at the top end of said opening ada' ted to control the supply opening, a hollow distributing plate mounted in the structure at one side of and below said opening adapted to move across said opening and deflect fuel to different parts of the structure, a source of cooling fluid connected with the rolls and distributing plate, and means controlling this passage of fluid through said plate and r0 ls.

2. In combination, a heat-producing structure having a fuel opening through its up.- per wall, hollow feed, rolls at the upper end of said opening adapted to control the supply of fuel to said opening, anjoscillatory hollow distributing plate mounted in the structure at one side of ing, a source of power 'operatively connected with the distributing plate adapted to oscillate the latter across under said opening to distribute fuel 'over the bottom (of said structure, a source of cooling fluid connected with the rolls and said plate, and means controlling the passage of fluid through said plate and rolls. c A

I 3. In a mechanical stoker, the combination withalieat-producing construction having a fuel opening therein, of fluid cooled feed rolls for controlling the admission :of fuel to said opening, a fluidcooled distributing plate receiving fuel directly fromsa'id opening and spreading 'it over the lower portion or said structure, operating means connected with said feed .rolls and said plateirn e ans for varying the coolingof said rolls and said plate independently of each other, and means for controlling the operation of said distributing plate -indep'endently of said feed rolls. p I

I {LIn a mechanical stoker for high temperatu're furnaces, the combination with a heat producing structure having a fuel of hollow feed roll adja cent said opening, a cooling fluid conducting pipe connected to said feed roll, means for controlling the flow of fluid through said pipe and said feed roll, a hollow fuel distributer, an additional fluid cooling conducting pipe connected to said distributer, and means for controlling the flow of fluid through said additional pipe and said hollow distributer.

5. The combination with a firebox having a recess in its upper rear portion, a distributing plate located in said recess, means for oscillating said plate into position where its upper surface will receive fuel from a vertical opening in the upper rear portion of said firebox and distribute said fuel continuously, a hopper above said opening, a feed roll in said hopper, and means for operating said feed roll to drop the fuel through said opening onto said distributing plate.

6. The combination with a heat-producing structure having a vertical fuel feed opening therein, of a hopper above said opening, a pair of oppositely rotating fuel crushers mounted in said hopper, a distributing plate below said opening for receiving the fuel on its upper surface only, means for oscillating said plate through different angles under said opening to effect the distribution of the fuel in said structure, means for cooling said fuel crushers, means for cooling said distributing plate, and mechanism for independ.

ently varying the cooling effect on said crushers and on said plate.

7. A heatproducing structure for comparatively high temperatures, of a hollow distributing plate below a fuel feed opening therein, means for oscillating said plate to receive fuel from said opening on its upper surface only and distributing said fuel in said structure, a hopper above said opening, hollow crushing feed rolls in said hopper, supply pipes connected to one end of each of said rollers and one end of said hollow distributing plate, exhaust pipes connected to the other end of said rolls and plate, a source of water supply connected to said supply pipes, and valves arranged to control the flow of water through said crushing rolls independently of the flow of water through said hollow distributing plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 5th day of April, A. D. 1915.

WALTER C. ELY.

Witnesses:

CHARLES M. NIssnN, CHARLES H. SEEM.

Oopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

